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Puto

Puto made of rice flour and coconut milk are soft, fluffy, and tasty! These Filipino steamed rice cakes are delicious on their own or paired with savory dishes such as pancit and dinuguan.

Puto

I have recipes for morcon and kilawing labanos at atay ready to be published in my draft box but since I posted my dinuguan a couple of days ago, I thought the best follow up would be its perennial pair, puto. Because what’s better to serve with hearty and savory pork blood stew than soft and fluffy steamed rice cakes?

What is Puto

Puto is a popular Filipino delicacy usually enjoyed as a filling midday snack or as an accompaniment to savory dishes such as dinuguan, pancit or sopas.

Although all-purpose flour, cake flour or even hotcake mixes are also used in making this kakanin, traditional putong puti is made from rice grains soaked in water overnight and processed into a smooth batter called galapong. The fermented rice batter is then steamed in banana-lined bamboo platters (bilao) or individual molds.

Over the years, home cooks have spun these native cakes into many delicious varieties by adding extracts such as pandan and ube flavorings or by topping them with slices of cheese or salted duck eggs. The recipe here is a for basic putong bigas which you can, of course, fancy up as you like.

Tips on How to Make Puto with Rice Flour

While you can steam the rice batter as soon as you make it, I highly recommend refrigerating it first overnight before steaming. This extra step was a tip a KP reader shared in the comments below, and it does make for a softer and less crumbly texture in my opinion.

I use silicone molds and they don’t need greasing but if you’re using tin or glass molds, make sure to liberally brush with oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray the insides of the molds.

The molds I use for this recipe have 2-ounce (1/4 cup) capacity, and at this size, the batter takes about 15 minutes to cook. If using smaller or larger molds or ramekins, adjust steam time accordingly. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake; if it comes out clean, the steamed cake is done.

Cover the steamer lid with cheesecloth or any cotton material to keep the condensation from dripping on the steamed muffins.

More Rice Cake Recipes

Give this Puto recipe a try. It makes about 3 dozens but you can easily halve or double the recipe depending on what you need.

Store leftovers in an airtight container; they will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, warm in the microwave for a few seconds or in the steamer for about 3 to 5 minutes until softened.

In the bottom part of the steamer, add water and bring to a boil. Arrange filled puto molds in a single layer on the steamer basket. Place steamer basket over the bottom part. Wrap lid of the steamer with cheesecloth or any cotton material (to prevent condensation from dripping onto puto) and cover steamer.

Steam for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from the heat and allow to slightly cool and gently remove puto from the molds.

Hi Ms. Lalaine,
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I read someone’s inquiry about using regular milk instead of coconut milk, actually I tried using fresh milk instead of coconut milk and it did turned out well. I topped it with cheese and everyone in our household loves it.
They’re even encouraging me to make a business out of it because it is much different from those puto in the market.
I also tried your kuchinta recipe and it’s now our gang’s favorite 🙂
Thanks for sharing your cooking skills 🙂

I seldom really leaves a comment unless the recipe is good. If the recipe is not, I don’t comment either. But I normally saves the ones I’ve tried and found to be good and something that I would be using regularly. Your rice puto is by far the best recipe for puto using rice flour that I have come across with. Especially for us Filipinos living overseas where “giniling na bigas” is not available. This is now my go to recipe for rice puto. I’ve already made this recipe so many times since I tried this. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂

Your other recipe for Puto, it calls for refrigerating the dough mixture of rice flour, water and coconut mik and then refrigerate overnight. The next day, you told us to mix in the sugar and the baking powder. The result is not really fluffy. I did put a cloth over the steamer before covering it to avoid water condensation to the mixture/

I am sorry about the confusion, this is an old recipe that I updated yesterday. I tested the old recipe a few times to see how I could improve it. The measurements are the same but from trying different batches, I found that it’s ok to add the baking powder and sugar before refrigerating. I mentioned in the tips section that you can steam the batter right away, it’s just the refrigeration part makes the cake better in my opinion. Did the puto turn out hard when you made them? They’re a bit more compact than, say, a mamon, but they do have a nice, soft texture.